Someone sent me the link to a video showing how parts of the space station were assembled over the years and missions. The station seems somewhat awkward with all of the solar panels hanging all over the station. It cannot be easy to park the space shuttle either.

Agree that the present Space Station looks like an after-thought, but then it does not have to suffer the wind. Still other space junk is left up in their bit of space & if one is slowly falling then good chance they will feel the smash if one hits them & be more like a rifle shot to penetrate every thing.

If they are all all allive then some quick repairs will have to be made &/of calls for help to be taken down by SOMEONE.

Defined life expectancies for Space Station modules? Apparently, yes and Russia wants its modules to form a space waystation for missions. Not quite Deep Space Nine.

Russia 'to save its ISS modules' By Anatoly Zak Science reporter

Russia is making plans to detach and fly away its parts of the International Space Station when the time comes to de-orbit the rest of the outpost.

Industry officials told BBC News of plans to keep the Russian ISS modules flying around a decade from now. ISS partners are optimistic they will be able to extend funding for the project beyond a current 2015 deadline. But most observers agree that most of the International Space Station will have to be scrapped around 2020.

.The crew of the ISS are going to have some visitors soon. And three of the "visitors" will become residents if they know the password. Just between you and I, I know the password. Do you?

Anyway, here's a BBC story on this.

Page last updated at 10:40 GMT, Wednesday, 27 May 2009 11:40 UKSpace station crew set to double

Three astronauts have blasted off for the International Space Station, where they are set to raise the outpost's crew to six for the first time.

Belgian Frank De Winne, Canadian Robert Thirsk and Russian Roman Romanenko launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan at 1134 BST.

Rather than coming straight home, the current residents are to stay aboard the ISS with the new arrivals.

After four months, Mr De Winne will take over as commander of the ISS.

This will mark the first time a European has taken charge of a crew in orbit.

The astronauts are due to arrive at the space station in two days' time, joining the current crew - Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka, Nasa astronaut Michael Barratt and Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata.

The Soyuz TMA-15 is set to dock with the space station at 1336 BST on Friday.

Can't do that here. This is too public. Wouldn't want somebody sneaking into the ISS, now would we? Can you imagine all the trouble I'd get into if there were a rush of visitors getting into the ISS just because I messed up and posted the password here. Somebody would shut us down. Sorry.

MONTREAL – Laying the groundwork for the deployment of Canadian robots on other planets and figuring out how to help people adapt to extreme environments are among the things Bob Thirsk will do now that he's aboard the International Space Station.

The 55-year-old Canadian astronaut was welcomed with bear hugs and smiles when he and two other space travellers arrived at the gigantic orbiting laboratory on Friday.

The Russians have a bead on space tourism for the people with rich bank accounts? Next up on a Soyuz spacecraft: the founder of Cirque du Soleil (Circus of the Sun).

Cirque du soleil founder headed for spaceJune 02, 2009 Canadian Press

Quebec billionaire Guy Laliberte, no stranger to excitement in a career that has seen him walk on stilts, eat fire and create the world-famous Cirque du soleil, appears to be getting ready to hit new heights.

Various sources say Laliberte, who is also a high-stakes poker player, is upping the adventure ante and will blast off for a visit to the International Space Station in September.

How to eat well in space: have a chef make your meals, taking into consideration what cannot be put into them during mission stays (wouldn't want the electrical equipment to get slopped on).

01/08/2010

Orbiting EdiblesInternational Space Station Goes GourmetGerman top chef Harald Wohlfahrt has figured out a way to bring fine dining into orbit. His new menus for the ISS have astronauts over the moon.

Harald Wohlfahrt is used to hearing that his dishes are out of this world. Now, though, they really are -- literally.

Wohlfahrt, recipient of three Michelin stars and among the finest chefs in Europe, is serving up meals to astronauts on the International Space Station. Among the choices: Swabian potato soup, braised veal cheeks with wild mushrooms and plum compote for dessert. The idea, he said, was to create something hearty and rustic. http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,670859,00.html